ABC’s Oscars telecast to be shorter, adds ‘Popular Film’ category
For starters, there’s now going to be a category entitled “Achievement in Popular Film” for the 2019 telecast, which basically translates to mean “we want more people to actually watch the Oscars so we’re making sure that popular movies get nominations.” All of a sudden, the Oscars are feeling a little bit more like the People’s Choice Awards and the prestige that has always been a staple of this show is starting to fade with this one move.
Beyond just this, the Oscars have also announced that select categories every year will now be handed out in commercial breaks as a means to shorten the overall telecast, which seems to be really against the entire spirit of the show and basically says that some category wins really aren’t as important – which isn’t true since every single person’s job on a film is equally important or the film wouldn’t ever be made. We know that the stars and director usually get all the fame, but it takes a village to make a movie happen and everyone’s job is important. Could you imagine Ben Hur still being as impressive as it was without the over 10,000 extras needed for the entire film?
One of the best things about watching the Oscars is getting to see someone go up on stage who you’ve never seen before and them delivering a surprisingly-heartfelt or poignant speech. It’s the one moment a year that these people have the spotlight and you’re telling them that they’re not good enough for TV just so you can make sure you have Avengers: Infinity War as a nominee. (Some winning moments may be edited and shown later in the broadcast.)
Is the Oscars an awards show that is swimming in snobbery? Absolutely it can be, but one of the reasons that viewers like it is because it has followed such a specific set of rules and guidelines for so long and gives people a glimpse into the luxury of it all. People create Oscar pools and parties leading up to it and while the show can be insufferably long, getting through it is an experience. If you want to shorten it, get rid of some of the comedy bits that rarely work and a few of the musical performances. Simmer things down a little bit and focus more on just the awards, with a few different small bits sprinkled in for effect.
The 2019 Oscars are going to be airing in February on ABC, so we’ll get a chance to see then just what all of these changes mean.
What do you think about these changes to the Oscars and what they mean to the awards themselves? Share in the comments!
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